
Moscow
Russia · 156 m
Description
Moscow (Москва) is the capital of Russia and the arrival point for almost every visitor, a city laid out in rings around the red brick walls of the Kremlin. Red Square opens along one side of it, closed at its far end by the painted onion domes of Saint Basil's Cathedral and lined by the glass arcades of the GUM department store. The metro runs beneath all of it through stations finished in marble, mosaic and chandeliers. The Tretyakov Gallery holds Russian painting from the icon age onward, and the Bolshoi still stages ballet. Winters are long, and the city stays lit through them.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 7 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – September or December
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Red Square
- Moscow Kremlin and its cathedral square
- Saint Basil's Cathedral
- Palatial stations of the Moscow Metro
- Zaryadye Park and its floating bridge
- VDNKh exhibition park and its pavilions
- GUM department store and its glass arcades
- Gorky Park along the Moskva
- Tretyakov Gallery
- State Historical Museum
- Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
- Alexander Garden and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Armoury Chamber and the Diamond Fund
- Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill
- Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
- Bolshoi Theatre
- Lenin's Mausoleum
- Sparrow Hills viewpoint and Moscow State University
- Moscow Zoo
- Moskvarium oceanarium at VDNKh
- Novodevichy Convent (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Arbat pedestrian street
- Moscow City towers and their observation decks
- Ostankino Tower and its observation deck
- Kolomenskoye and the Church of the Ascension (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Izmailovo Kremlin and its flea market
- Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
- Tsaritsyno palace and park
- Moskva river cruise
- Bunker-42 Cold War museum
- New Year fair and ice rink (December - early January)
Getting there
- Airports:
- SVO, DME, VKO
- Train stations:
- Moskva Leningradskaya, Moskva Yaroslavskaya, Moskva Kazanskaya